


when I'm older

by Moransroar



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Light Angst, M/M, Possibly Unrequited Love, Wistful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:15:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25525774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moransroar/pseuds/Moransroar
Summary: "I see you standing there, looking at her and it kills me knowing that'll never be me.""Why do you think that?"
Relationships: Peter Parker/Tony Stark
Comments: 2
Kudos: 63
Collections: Starker and More Discord Challenges





	when I'm older

**Author's Note:**

  * For [iamtherealbork](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamtherealbork/gifts).



> My second (and last) entry for the latest Starker and More Discord Challenge, for the line prompt as described in the summary above which was written by Bork. I hope you enjoy!

Tony loved Peter’s laugh. Always had, always would. He couldn’t even begin to count the amount of times he’d stood there, watching the boy from afar, silently enjoying the way he seemed to be enjoying himself with his friends or with people from the team.

Everyone had taken to him so very well. When Tony had first brought him in, the rest had been a bit apprehensive, considering he was so young. But they had warmed to him in no time, and while that was a very good thing indeed, it had also made Tony realize a thing or two about what exactly he…felt, for Peter.

Accepting it had been difficult, at first. Tony didn’t want to admit to himself that he saw Peter as something more than what Peter saw him as, that he wanted more than he knew he could ever have. He’d long since accepted that things just weren’t going to work out that way. That it wasn’t going to happen. Still, seeing Peter look at MJ like that…

He watched Peter smile at her, and thought, _I see you standing there, looking at her, and it kills me knowing that’ll never be me._

And for a second, it was almost as if Peter turned to him for it, sent him one of those disbelieving smiles where his nose kind of scrunches up, and asked, “Why do you think that?”

Tony took a deep breath and sighed. “Oh, I don’t know. Let’s call it a hunch.”

He sank his hands into the pockets of his trousers as Peter extracted himself from the situation and came over to stand next to him and watch the scene unfold with him.

“You’re handsome,” Peter said. Tony snorted.

“And you’re a figment of my imagination,” he retorted. “Look how happy you are,” he continued, gesturing to Peter and MJ standing a little ways away, talking and laughing, “Who am I to break that up?”

Peter shrugged, and Tony felt like he’d proven his point. Peter had been so giddy about getting together with the girl. Tony was one of the first people to officially hear about it. Thankfully, Peter had been so enthusiastic that he hadn’t noticed the change in Tony’s mood, or how quiet he’d suddenly become. He’d tried to be as encouraging and as happy for Peter as he could muster, but when your heart was breaking on the very spot, that was a hard façade to keep up.

But Peter had always been oblivious to a lot of things.

The fact that he had no idea of Tony’s feelings for him went to show exactly that.

“Maybe it’s young love, and it’ll blow over?” Peter suggested.

“Or,” Tony countered, “Maybe it’s young love, and by the time you’re both through college, you’ll get married and have lots of little spider babies.”

Peter pulled a face. “Gross.”

Tony watched as Peter put his arm around MJ while he showed her what he presumed to be some kind of video on his phone. They were quiet for a moment, and then they both laughed.

“Point is, it’s time I move on.”

“Don’t move on yet! I think you still have a chance!” From the corner of his eye, Tony could see Peter next to him look up pleadingly, almost as if he wanted Tony to interrupt right now and put this puppy love to an end for something… what, something real? No. Tony couldn’t give Peter anything that was more real than what he had right now. He shook his head.

“Maybe one day, when I’m older.”

Peter chuckled at him, and nudged his shoulder against his arm. “You already are older,” he insisted amusedly, but Tony leaned away so he could turn himself away from the couple. He’d already been standing there for far too long, and if he wanted to avoid the risk of them noticing that he’d been watching, he was going to have to extract himself eventually. Besides, Peter’s encouragement wasn’t helping, because Peter wasn’t real. The only real Peter had just leaned into MJ’s embrace, and had kissed the corner of her mouth. Not his.

“Exactly.”


End file.
